LONDON – A British Airways Airbus A380 has declared an emergency over Northern Ireland due to a medical emergency whilst en route to London Heathrow.
At this point, it is unclear what the nature of the emergency is, with G-XLEJ being the A380 involved in the 7700 squawk broadcast.
This is a developing story.
UPDATE #1 @ 1422 UK time – British Airways Flight 286 from San Francisco doesn’t seem to be descending just yet, hinting it may continue all of the way to London Heathrow.
UPDATE #2 @ 1425 UK time – G-XLEJ of British Airways is a seven-year-old Airbus A380 at the time of writing, having departed San Francisco at 2049 local time yesterday.
UPDATE #3 @ 1433 UK time – British Airways Flight 286 has removed its emergency squawk and is now squawking 7640. We will continue to monitor this flight until arrival.
UPDATE #4 @ 1439 UK time – BA286 has begun its descent into London Heathrow over the Crewe area; arrival is expected shortly.
UPDATE #5 @ 1446 UK time – The change in squawk code must mean that whatever the emergency was, they have it under control on the British Airways A380.
UPDATE #6 @ 1450 UK time – BA286 is passing through FL160 over Coventry as it gets closer to London Heathrow.
UPDATE #7 @ 1452 UK time – BA286 will be likely to land on Runway 27L as per runway allocation currently, but there is always the chance it could land on 27R if need be.
UPDATE #8 @ 1455 UK time – It is understood that the crew on BA286 have requested a priority landing into London Heathrow.
UPDATE #9 @ 1500 UK time – Runways at Heathrow have changed to 27R, so BA286 will be likely to initiate its approach onto that runway.
UPDATE #10 @ 1505 UK time – British Airways Flight 286 is on final approach onto Runway 27R at London Heathrow Airport. The nature of the emergency is a passenger who is unwell.
UPDATE #11 @ 1508 UK time – BA286 has landed safely at London Heathrow. Medical emergency confirmed onboard.
